Charleston, SC – Charleston Academy today announced its international tryout (player selection) dates for European and South American players who want to explore the opportunity to play in college in the United States. The European leg of the player selections will be November 26 through December 7. The South American leg of the player selections will be December 17-21.
The selection dates will be both open and invitational for girls for 14U to 16U. USA Volleyball age groups are defined as:
16U: Born on or after Sept. 1, 2002
15U: Born on or after Sept. 1, 2003
14U: Born on or after Sept. 1, 2004
International players will join the Charleston Academy residential program and attend a mix of local and online schools while living the in the local community to learn more about the United States and how the college system works here. They will train daily with the club and from January until July they will travel to tournaments based on our schedule which will expose them to college coaches in the United States at the highest level.
The best international players typically have the opportunity to sign professional contracts at the age of 16. More and more college programs are not only signing foreign players, but also going on international tours to promote their program and recruit.
“We always planned on augmenting our teams’ local talent with two to three international players. Based on tryouts, we may augment with more than three international players to make sure we have the quality to compete at the national level. The club’s long-term mission is to develop local talent first to compete at the national level, but the local players must want to reach their potential. That culture and opportunity doesn’t currently exist in this market,” said Jaime Shamis, Charleston Academy Club Director.
“This is a great opportunity for young volleyball players from abroad to come to the States to see what life and volleyball are like here, to develop their language skills in many cases and to get exposure to college coaches if that is something they are considering for their future. It’s also an excellent chance for our domestic players to gain exposure to different cultural perspectives and playing mentalities,” said John Forman, Charleston Academy Technical Director.
As part of its international player selection process, Charleston Academy is using Instagram for international players to tag its Instagram account (@chas_academy) with video(s) of themselves playing for invitation to the selection dates. This program will be promoted across Europe and South America through social media and the Charleston Academy staff’s international contacts.
Join the conversation on social via @chas_academy (Instagram & twitter).
About Charleston Academy
Charleston Academy is currently a division of Sport Venture Group. Its mission is to develop players to the highest international standard, which will allow their teams to challenge for national titles making the club a nationally recognized brand. The club started with volleyball in 2018 and expects to add Basketball in 2019 and Soccer in 2020.
About Sport Venture Group
Sport Venture Group is a sport investment and holding company founded by a multigenerational family office to invest, hold and manage its various multisport interests. The company, from time to time, also advises key clients in the global sport space on Strategy, M&A, Commercial Partnerships and the like.
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Contact:
Anne Peterson, Esq.
Sport Venture Group, Public Relations
+1.843.970.1655
anne.peterson@sportventuregroup.com